Writing Magazine March 2020

WRITING FESTIVALS 2020

WRITING MAGAZINE - FESTIVAL GUIDE 2020^65

Mere Literary Festival
13-18 October
Various venues in Mere, Wiltshire
A week of literary events
Gail Garbutt, 07940 381004

Canterbury Festival
17-31 October
Various venues across Canterbury
General arts festival with literature, poetry
and performance strands
Festival Oice, Festival House, 8 Orange
Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2JA
01227 452853

Thame Arts and Literature Festival
October, TBC
Venues around hame
Family-friendly general arts festival with some
literary events
TAL Festival, 12 Aston Street, Oxford OX4
1EP; 0788 548 4406

Wells Festival of Literature
October, TBC, Wells, Somerset
Long-running and busy festival with ten days
of top speakers
he Wells Festival of Literature, Tregantle,
Milton Lane, Wells, Somerset. BA5 2QT
0300 201 0211

Raworth’s Harrogate Literature Festival
22-25 October
Crown Hotel, Harrogate
Four fantastic days packed with some of the
biggest names from the worlds of iction and
non-iction.
Harrogate International Festivals, 32
Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate HG1 1DB
01423 562 303

Sherborne Literary Festival
October TBC, Sherborne, Dorset
Annual literature festival that always features
an excellent line-up of authors.
Sherborne Literary Society, c/o Stocoomb,
Nethercombe Lane, Sherborne DT9 4BU
01258 821499

Dorchester Literary Festival
October, TBC
County Museum and other Dorchester
venues
Talks, workshops, conversations and
discussions with acclaimed writers talking
about their work in a town steeped in rich
literary associations
Janet Gleeson, Festival co-director,
Dorchester Literary Festival, Winfrith House,
High Street, Winfrith Newburgh, Dorchester,
Dorset DT2 8JW

Yeovil Literary Festival

29 Oct-2 Nov

he Octagon heatre and other Yeovil venues

he annual Yeovil festival promises

outstanding speakers from the world of

literature, and starts with a literary dinner.

Adam Burgan, Yeovil Community Arts

Association, he Octagon heatre, Yeovil

BA20 1UX; 01935 422884

Off the Shelf Festival of Words

October TBC

Various Sheield venues

Innovative and wide-ranging Sheield-based

literature and media festival

Of the Shelf Festival of Words, Major Events

Team, Room 311, Town Hall, Pinstone

Street, Sheield S1 2HH

0114 273 4716

NOVEMBER

Taunton Literary Festival

November, TBC

Various Taunton venues

Literary festival celebrating new and

established writers, organised by independent

bookseller Brendon Books

Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton,

Somerset TA1 4ER; 01823 337742

Southwold Festival

5-9 November

St Edmund’s Hall and St Edmund’s Church,

Southwold

5-day literature festival run by Ways With

Words in the Sufolk seaside resort

Ways With Words, Droridge Farm, Droridge

Lane, Dartington, Devon TQ9 6JG

01803 867373

Louder than Words

6-8 November, venue TBC, Manchester

hree-day celebration of popular music

writing, with artists and writers contributing,

hosted by John Robb.

Swindon Youth Festival of Literature

9-13 November

Various Swindon schools venues and the

Wyvern heatre

A collaborative project co-ordinated by the

librarians of Swindon secondary schools which

aims to celebrate and promote reading, writing

and creativity to the student population.

Fiona Hardcastle, Co-ordinator, Swindon

Youth Festival of Literature, he Dorcan

Academy, St Paul’s Drive, Covingham,

Swindon SN3 5DA

01793 525231

Poetry in Aldeburgh Festival

November TBC

Aldeburgh and Snape Maltings, Sufolk

Workshops, readings and appearances by

leading poets

01728 687 110

Folkestone Book Festival

November, TBC

Venues around Folkestone, Kent

An annual invitation to gather, tell stories,

exchange ideas and keep warm together.

Previous authors include Ben Okri, Caroline

Lucas, Anthony Seldon, Elif Shafak and

Lemn Sissay.

Creative Foundation, Quarterhouse, Mill Bay,

Folkestone, Kent, CT20 1BN

01303 760 740

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.creativefolkestone.org.uk/

folkestone-book-festival/

Bridport Literary Festival

November TBC

Bridport Arts Centre and other venues,

Dorset

Now in its 15th year, the festival goes from

strength to strength and is centred on the

Bridport Prize prize-giving lunch, with

appearances from the judges

Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport

DT6 3NR; 01308 427183

Hay Festival Winter Weekend

27-29 November

Hay-on-Wye

he programme blends literary conversation,

immersive performances and family

workshops, taking place within the stunning

surrounds of the town’s independent

bookshops, cafés, and markets.

01497 822 629 (Box Oice)

Richmond upon Thames Literature

Festival

TBC November

Various venues across the borough

A festival of books and words, tales, talks and

ideas taking place across Richmond upon

hames every November

Richmond Literature Festival, Orleans House

Gallery, Riverside, Twickenham, TW1 3DJ

020 8831 6000

For up-to-date details

of festivals, courses and

other events all year

round, subscribe to Writing

Magazine at

http://www.writers-online.co.uk